Under Direct Order
by HeddaMac
Summary: Eight months after New York, Clint and Natasha are happy to take on a new mission from their miraculously healed handler. Another agent, however, questions Agent Barton's loyalty in front of his partner. Clintasha . No beta, so all mistakes are mine. First Avengers story.


It was the first, carefree, real Clinton Francis Barton smirk he had graced her with since she surprised him in New Mexico on her way to Russia over eight months ago—a lifetime of fighting, healing, and therapy ago. He had her arms pinned to the mat as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her neck before whispering in his graveled voice, "Do you yield, Tash?"

"Yield? You've spent too much time with Thor, Tweety." She uncharacteristically smiled up at him allowing him a moment to enjoy one of his infrequent victories over her.

Without moving from his position, he tipped his head over to their recently resurrected handler. "Did you hear that, Coulson? The Black Widow is reduced to name-calling."

Phil grinned at his favorite team as he stepped further into the training room. Natasha used the distraction to flip Clint onto his back and spring to her feet. She returned Coulson's grin as she reached her hand out to pull Clint up beside her, leaving his hand clasped tightly in hers. Today, standing with the closest people she had to family back together, she didn't feel like hiding her emotions. Agent Natasha Romanoff was happy.

"You leave for Crete at 0500 tomorrow." Coulson handed each of them their mission file. "Meet me in Director Fury's office in an hour."

Clint squeezed his partner's hand then released her to follow after Coulson as another pair of agents entered to take over the room.

Natasha retrieved her towel from a nearby bench and wiped the sweat from her still smiling face. As she flipped the towel over her shoulder and shifted the file Coulson had given her, one of the agents muttered just loud enough for her to hear, "Damn traitor shouldn't—"

Before he could finish his snide remark about her partner, Natasha threw him against the nearest wall and had a knife positioned to slice through his carotid artery. She ignored the other agent who ran from the training room.

Her voice was like velvet as she whispered into his ear, "There has only been one occasion when Agent Barton willingly disobeyed a direct order from Director Fury. Do you know what that one occasion was, Agent?" She loosened her hold just enough for the young man to shake his head.

"It was when Barton decided not to assassinate one Black Widow and to instead bring her in." She pressed the knife against the agent's throat once again. "The only other time he disobeyed Fury was when he was possessed by magic and under the mind control of an evil demi-god."

The door to the room opened as Natasha threw the agent down and dug her heel into his neck where her knife had been.

"Romanoff."

She raised a hand to Hill without turning her eyes from the crumpled Agent. "Do you know the one time you willingly disobeyed a direct order from Director Fury, Agent?" Natasha asked the man as she removed enough pressure from his throat to allow him to respond, but before he could she answered her own question. "It was when you launched a nuke at New York. The only reason you aren't remembered as the man who killed millions is because of the quick thinking of Tony Stark. Agent Barton and the rest of the Avengers are remembered as the heroes who helped stop an invasion."

She stepped back and turned to Hill. "Maria."

Hill nodded to Natasha as she left the room.

"Aren't you going to reprimand her?" The agent choked out as he rubbed his throat.

"Do you know why you are still here?" Maria asked as she stared down at her injured agent.

"Because Agent Barton helped stop an invasion he helped plan?"

Apparently, the man didn't know when to shut up, she thought as she took in the man's idiotic response. Hill knelt down beside him, so he could see her infamous glare up close.

"You are here, Agent, because Clint Barton is. You are here because Director Fury wanted him back—wanted his best team back—enough to bargain with the Council. You are here because the Council gave Director Fury a direct order to keep your sorry, traitorous ass under his command in exchange for the full reinstatement of Agent Barton. I suggest you treat him with the respect and gratitude he deserves. If you don't, the Black Widow will be the least of your worries. Understood?"

The man nodded jerkily, for once deciding to keep his mouth shut.


End file.
